What Is The Best Size Slow Cooker To Buy

If you are asking “what is the best size slow cooker to buy” then I can assure you that you are not alone.

I went to my local butchers the other day for some bones to make bone broth with. They asked me how many I wanted and I responded that it would depend on how much they cost. They’re free, the butcher replied. Free? As in, FREE? I asked. Yes; he said. I got excited.

Free bones? YES PLEASE!

So I asked for a couple. Sure, he said, I’ll give you three. ‘THREE? Only three? Is that it?’ I thought. Well yes please that’s absolutely fab thanks a lot I said out loud. Off he went to the freezer and out he came with the bag of only three bones. I almost passed out.

My goodness! They were MASSIVE AS HECK!

My near disappointment quickly turned into excitement then sheer panic. What in the world am I going to cook this in? It slowly began to dawn on me (excuse the pun) that my slow cooker wasn’t going to be large enough to cook the incredibly huge bones I had just acquired. I needed a larger slow cooker to work with.

My alternatives were (a) Cook one bone at a time (b) Saw the bones to smaller pieces or (c) Buy a larger Slow cooker to cook all the bones at once.

Option C seemed like the most practical option to go with but the question I soon became faced with was “what slow cooker is large enough to cook all my three bones at the same time?” What is the best size slow cooker to buy?

I realised that when it comes to slow cookers, size really does make a difference. If you are mainly going to be using your slow cooker to make soups and stews for a single person or a couple, then a small 1.5 Litre slow cooker will be sufficient. However, if you plan to make whole meals on a regular basis, or want to make food ahead to freeze to save money then a large slow cooker of 6.5 Litre would work best.

Before my “bone situation”, it had never crossed my mind that my slow cooker size could be (or was) an issue. When buying a slow cooker, we tend to go for a size that would suit our immediate need. Which is what it shoud be and exactly what I did when I bought my first slow cooker. But then I got a bag of 3 huge bones and all of a sudden I’m thinking I may have gotten it all wrong.

So I decided to do a bit more research.

I realised that the most important factor to consider when looking to buy a new slow cooker is the size. More importantly, the size of the inner pot. The inner pot size is what determines how much food can be cooked in the slow cooker at once. Slow cookers function best when they are about 2/3 – 3/4 of the inner pot capacity because that way your food maintains its moisture as it cooks. You should never fill your slow cooker up to the brim.

Most slow cooker buying guides suggest that a 1.5 litres slow cooker is sufficient for feeding a family of 3 to 4. Larger families will need to invest in a larger sized slow cooker (obviously). A 6.5 litres slow cooker, is large enough for a family of 6. Most of these large sized slow cookers have around 4.5 litres working capacity. You could also fit a whole chicken in a 6.5 litre slow cooker.

As a single mum of one, under “normal circumstances” my 1.5 litres slow cooker should be sufficient (and indeed it has been) if I go by the general slow cooker size guide. However, what I havecome to realise is that the best size slow cooker to buy, depends on both your specific cooking need and the size of your family. Not just the size of your family alone.

Choosing the right size for your new slow cooker doesn’t have to be difficult if you base it around your need. There’s nothing wrong in having more than one slow cooker if it suits your need more that way.

Choosing the best size slow cooker to buy for myself was a bit demanding but in the end I decided to go for this one. Such a pain to find the right size slow cooker but it’s all totally worth it. Nothing beats the delicious taste of a slow cooked meal.

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